Rare Pennies (aka the One Cent Coin)

Here are a few rare pennies with bright futures.
As a side note, please forgive us for using the informal term "pennies"
-- veteran collectors properly call this coin the CENT, but more often
than not, society refers to it as the "PENNY" (on second thought, let's
not teach bad habits, so from now on, we'll employ the proper
numismatic lingo -- it is the CENT).

By clicking on any of the rare cent dates in the box below, you'll be
taken to another section lower on this page for an in depth analysis.

These have always been in demand from cent
collectors and will always be, yet exist in relatively limited
supplies. That's why their values generally trend higher over time.

None of the cents listed here will cost a fortune to purchase in lower
grades (e.g. Good or Very Good), thus putting them within the reach of
the average collector.

However, this list of Bullish cents is far from
complete... we really need to get some Large Cents from the early US
Mint on here (probably not the fabled Strawberry Cent, for it is simply
too scarce and generally unavailable).

The historically significant and consistently
popular 1793 Chain Cent (and affordable, though for a pretty penny --
please pardon the pun) is a good choice and will be spotlighted here as
time permits.

In the meantime, you can learn more about the Chain Cent
and other Large Cents holding great promise by visiting our Rare
Coin
Values Index.

The inaugural small cent, the 1856 Flying Eagle cent had a mintage of
only about 2000 (more than half of them were proofs). The addition of
an 1856 cent in any acceptable condition is
a prudent buy. The coin has seen steady appreciation over the long
term, being that
an 1856 Flying Eagle cent is "necessary" to complete a small cent
collection, but is available only in extremely small quantities. Buy
ONLY from reputable sources, as many 1858 Flying Eagles have been
altered to appear as 1856.

The Year This Coin Was
Minted...

The nation was careening relentlessly toward dissolution and civil war.
In 1856, a harbinger of events to come was being played out in
"Bleeding Kansas", where both sides of the slavery issue clashed
over the admission of the Jayhawkers as a free or slave state.

Armed combatants poured into the Kansas Territory, determined to
influence the outcome. "Border Ruffians" (right) from Missouri sacked
Lawrence in May 1856. A group of fanatical abolitionists, led by John
Brown, retaliated by murdering five pro-slavery settlers in
Pottawatomie.

James Buchanan was elected the 15th President of the United States in
1856, but could do little to ward off the impending disaster.

Also in 1856, the 13.5 ton British Parliament "Big Ben" bell was cast.

Border Ruffians
crossing the Missouri state line into the territory of Kansas.

The
1877 is considered the most crucial key date of the Indian Head
cent series. The coin has demonstrated moderate to strong gains in just
about every condition over time frames short and long, although we've
seen price drops in lower grades over the last few years. Color quality
(B= BROWN, RB= RED-BROWN, R= RED) has become an important
value modifier for Indian Head cents and other copper coins.

The Year This Coin Was
Minted...

Going into 1877, the presidential election of 1876 remained unsettled.
The Democratic nominee, Samuel Tilden of New York, carried the popular
vote by a margin of 250,000. He won 184 electoral votes, compared to
165 for Republican Rutherford B. Hayes of Ohio, but 185 votes were
required to reach the White House. Twenty electoral votes, from the
states of Oregon, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Florida were disputed.
The controversy threatened to plunge the nation into violence.

A 15 member commission (8 Republicans, 7 Democrats) was named to decide
the fate of the disputed electoral votes. By a straight party vote, all
20 electoral votes were awarded to the Republican. On March 5, 1877,
Rutherford B. Hayes (pictured at right) was sworn in as the 19th
president of the United States.

In one of his first acts, President Hayes withdrew federal troops from
the South, bringing to a close the era of Reconstruction following the Civil War.

The election of
1876, resulting in a rancorous victory for Rutherford B. Hayes, topped
even the 2000 Bush vs. Gore election in acrimony.

Owning
a 1909-S VDB is a dream come true for every serious Lincoln cent
collector. Many collectors get their start in Lincoln cents, and this
is likely to remain so. Expect lon term solid demand for the 1909-S
VDB from the core of the collector base. Significant price
softening in recent years are presenting bargains for buyers. If you
can't afford this
rarity, then take a look at the 1909-S, for it is very scarce and
collectors love it too. Color quality (B= BROWN, RB= RED-BROWN, R= RED)
has become an important value modifier for Lincoln cents and other
copper coins.

The Year This Coin Was
Minted...

Nearly 15 months after it first set sail on a worldwide voyage, an
American force of 16 battleships called the "Great White Fleet", named
so because all the ships were painted white, returned to the U.S. on
February 22, 1909. The mission had two goals: to strengthen ties with
the nation's allies, and to demonstrate naval might to potential
adversaries. The fleet traveled more than 46,000 miles.

William Howard Taft was inaugurated on March 4 as the 27th President of
the United States.

The U.S. Army purchased its first airplane ever, the Wright Flyer,
directly from the Wright Brothers. The cost of the aircraft was
$30,000. Lt. Frank Humphreys, trained by the Wrights, became the army's
first solo aviator, in October, 1909.

Notable deaths in 1909 included two figures from the Old American West:
artist Frederick Remington and Apache Chief Geronimo.

The Great White
Fleet circumnavigated the globe in 1907-1909, to show both friends and
foes that the United States had become a military power to be reckoned
with.

The 1914-D Lincoln cent is a classic rarity of the 20th century.
Periodically, it explodes in value, but never recedes permanently like
some
"fad" coins do. This is because collector interest in this dynamo never
wanes. As is always the case when buying rare key dates, make
sure it has been certified by PCGS or NGC. Lots of alterations out
there.

The Year This Coin Was
Minted...

President Woodrow Wilson promised U.S. neutrality as war spread
throughout Europe in 1914. For years, major European powers had been at
odds with one another, but it was the assassination of Austrian
Archduke Ferdinand on June 28 that finally provoked hostilities.

Mother's Day became an official annual celebration in 1914. President
Wilson signed a joint resolution of Congress on May 9 to recognize the
holiday.

August 15 was the opening date of the Panama Canal. In the ten years it
took to construct the canal, an estimated 240 million cubic yards of
earth was moved. Cost of the project was nearly $400 million. 5600
laborers died in the making of the canal, due to disease or accidents.

American scientist Robert Goddard begins his experiments in rocket
science.

18 people were gunned down in Ludlow, Colorado on April 20, as they
fled their burning tents. 13 of the victims were children. The
violence took place in response to a miner strike against the Colorado
Fuel and Iron Company.

The assassination
of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife on June 28, 1914,
was the spark that ignited World War I. Declarations of war sprung
forth rapidly, and within a short time, Europe was engulfed in a bloody
conflict.

All Lincoln cents minted in 1922 came from the Denver Mint, but a few
of them are "Plain", that is, they're missing the "D" mintmark.
Researchers believe one version of the "No D" variety occurred after a
pair of 1922-D dies clashed.
The reverse die was ruined, so it was replaced with a brand new die.
The obverse die sustained damage to the area around the mintmark, so
Mint craftsmen repaired the die to remove the clash marks (and in the
process, removed the mintmark), then returned it to service. This newly
mated die pair resulted in 1922 cents having no trace of the "D"
mintmark and a strong reverse. Other "No D" or "weak D" cents
came about as a result of worn, clogged dies, and while scarce, are not
nearly as desired by collectors as "no D", strong reverse examples.

Insist on obtaining 1922 "No D" cents with the strong reverse. It
will cost more than other "No D" examples, but someday, when Lincoln
cent collectors engage in a
fierce bidding war over your coin, you'll be glad you made the
selection. Because many 1922-D cents had their mintmark removed
by dishonest operators hoping to con buyers, it is mandatory that you
purchase only "No D" cents that have been certified by a reputable
grading service. PCGS and NGC are two of the best services.

The Year This Coin Was
Minted...

In 1922, the U.S. Senate began investigating charges that Interior
Secretary Albert Fall accepted bribes from oilmen Edward L. Doheny and
Harry Sinclair, in exchange for drilling rights to Teapot Dome, a
federally owned oil-rich tract of land located in Wyoming, and
oilfields in California. Eventually, Secretary Fall served time in
prison. The Teapot Dome scandal forever tarnished the legacy of the
Warren Harding administration.

In Italy, Benito Mussolini forms a new Fascist government.

King George V opens a new 15,000 seat tennis stadium at Wimbledon.

In 1922, the Pittsburgh Observer newspaper writes: "a change
for the worse during the past year in feminine dress, dancing, manners
and general moral standards".

The Reader's Digest issues its first magazine on February 5,
1922.

Edward L. Doheny
(2nd from right) testifying before the Senate committee investigating
the Teapot Dome oil lease scandal. The Teapot Dome scandal dominated
headlines throughout much of the 1920's. Had Secretary Albert Fall not
spent
his bribe money so openly, the truth about Teapot Dome might never have
come to light.

The 1931-S does not generate as much excitement as other key Lincoln
cent dates, but every Lincoln collector needs one to complete the set.
Only 866,000 were minted, making it one the rarest coins in the series,
but an unusually high proportion of the 1931-S population are preserved
in the higher grade range. Obtain the best condition you can afford,
with full mint RED for Uncirculated examples. If you pursue only upper crust
1931-S cents from a reputable seller, you'll never have to worry about
getting stuck with an overpriced coin.

The Year This Coin Was
Minted...

By 1931, the United States was mired in the throes of the Great
Depression. The prosperity of the "Golden Twenties" was a distant
memory. Bank closings were rampant, as millions lost their jobs. Many
Americans lost confidence in President Herbert Hoover, and were looking
for a new leader to emerge in the next year's election to lead the
nation out of the crisis.

Those who could spare a few cents for entertainment flocked to horror
movies in 1931. Bela Lugosi in Dracula and Boris Karloff
in Frankenstein starred.

The world's tallest building, the Empire State Building in NYC, was
dedicated. The 1245-ft structure had few tenants.

The great inventor Thomas Edison died in 1931. Legendary Notre Dame
football coach Knute Rockne was killed in a plane crash while on a
recruiting trip.

As unemployment
soared during the Great Depression, jobless people congregated on empty
lots in a number of American cities, where they built crude shelters
from salvaged materials, such as packing crates and tin. These shanty
towns were dubbed as "Hoovervilles", after President Herbert Hoover,
who was blamed for much of the misery.

Lately, the Rare Coin Values Index is behaving like it thinks its the Dow Jones. That would be an exaggeration of course, because the Index is not climbing at THAT meteoric pace, but it has now closed…